County Championship: Dawid Malan and Harry Brook score centuries for Yorkshire

Dawid Malan has scored 28 first-class centuries

England Test hopefuls Dawid Malan and Harry Brook contributed superb centuries to a Yorkshire revival sparked by Pakistan quick Haris Rauf on day two against Kent at Headingley.

Yorkshire's hopes of winning a second County Championship game in three to start 2022 are now high having been under pressure on day one.

Kent were 227-4 and started day two on 270-6, only to fall to 291 all out as Rauf finished with 5-65 with two of the four wickets to fall inside 30 minutes of play.

Either side of lunch, Kent then impressively reduced Yorkshire's reply to 23-3 inside 22 overs.

But Malan and unbeaten Brook - 152 and a career best 131 respectively - ensured their side hit back once again, uniting with confidence for a record fourth-wicket partnership of 269 inside 55 overs either side of tea to ensure Yorkshire closed on 326-5.

Play was halted for approximately 40 minutes from just before 14:20 BST due to a medical emergency in the ground's North East Corner, though the spectator was thankfully responsive when carried away on a stretcher as 10 overs were lost.

Malan and Brook are bidding to impress new England managing director Rob Key. Malan, 34, was jettisoned from the Test following the Ashes, but his quality is clear to see.

While 23-year-old Brook made his England T20 debut in Barbados in January, but looks very much an all-format player - as early season Championship scores of 101, 56 not out, 84 and 77 not out prior to this indicate.

On the back of two defeats in their opening three games and dealing with key injuries for Jackson Bird and Joe Denly, Kent have played some excellent cricket here, none more so than when bowling with the new ball.

Rauf looked genuinely touched by the rapturous ovation he received from the crowd after removing Grant Stewart caught behind six balls into the day and then yorking Nathan Gilchrist.

Kent would have been frustrated at falling below 300 given their good work on the first day.

However, Stewart took the new ball from the Howard Stand End and bowled six successive maidens before being replaced by Gilchrist, who claimed two of the first three home wickets.

He had Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne caught behind cheaply following a loose drive and George Hill lbw as he shouldered arms to leave them 19-2 in the 19th over.

More reward was to follow with the first ball of the afternoon when Adam Lyth feathered Matt Milnes behind down the leg side.

Kent bowled 15 maidens in those first 22 overs, but only bowled another three for the rest of the day - an indication of the proactive manner in which Malan and Brook played all around the wicket.

It was a Yorkshire record for any wicket against Kent, beating a previous high of 267 set on this ground in 1934 by openers Wilf Barber and Len Hutton.

Malan and Brook reached their fifties before tea, with Malan the first to his century off 136 balls afterwards.

Brook, having hoisted George Linde's left-arm spin for two sixes straight and over midwicket, was not far behind off 138 as Yorkshire reached 248-3.

Malan has now scored three hundreds in four first-class appearances for Yorkshire at Headingley since moving from Middlesex ahead of 2020.

But he fell caught behind gloving a pull down leg after pulling Matt Quinn for six to reach 150, secure a lead and bring upon the partnership record.

Quinn, bowling with the new ball, later trapped Harry Duke lbw.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.